Clandestine
by The Loser Lord
Summary: Because two can keep a secret, if one of them is dead. - SasuSaku/NaruHina, AU (PLL based)
1. The Aftermath of Karin Uzumaki

_Clandestine_ by **The Loser Lord**  
Secret 1: The Aftermath of Karin Uzumaki

_Got a secret, can you keep it?  
Swear this one you'll save,  
Better lock it in your pocket,  
Taking this one to the grave;_

_If I show you,  
Then I know __you won't tell what I said;_  
_Because two can keep a secret,_  
_if one of them is dead_

_"Where is she?" Sasuke's tone was wintry and bitter in the summer air. Sakura rested her dripping paintbrush over a cup of murky water and faced the seething Uchiha, her brows knitted together in genuine confusion._

_ "Who?" she asked at last._

_ "You know damn well who I'm talking about, Sakura!" he snapped impatiently, "Where is _Karin_?"_

_ The petite girl shrugged her delicate shoulders, wrapping her arms around her middle, almost as if she were guarding herself. _

_"I don't know."_

_Sasuke wouldn't accept Sakura's half-hearted answers; he needed to know where Karin was and he needed to know _now_. What kind of friend was she? Allowing something as petty as a little high school relationship stand in the way of her 'best friend's' well-being. _

_Sakura Haruno sickened him._

_"Don't give me that horse-shit, Sakura," he countered angrily, "Karin is _missing_! Do not tell me that you don't know where she is. Don't you care what happened to her?"_

_And Sakura, poor Sakura, already beaten down by one of her own best friends and scowled at by the love of her life, did the only thing she knew how to do properly and without regret._

_"No, I don't. Go away."_

Urgent fingers rapped loudly against the front door. The morning typically came with less noise, but Sakura didn't particularly mind the commotion. After all, it was the first day back to school. She sat in her school uniform, her pink hair wild and unkempt against her back as she sipped her tea and ate her burnt toast; Sakura ignored the protesting cracks of her molars as she bit down hard against the bread's scorched surface.

"Sakura, I'm a little preoccupied right now, you mind getting that for me?" Mebuki, Sakura's mother, called from the downstairs bathroom.

"Sure!" Sakura loudly answered. Her stool scraped against the white tiles of the kitchen floor like nails on a blackboard as she dragged her house slippers to the main foyer, where the tapping resumed incessantly.

Sakura didn't even have to open the front door all the way; Ino Yamanaka barreled into the hallway quicker than the blink of an eye, with her shiny blonde hair pin straight and perfect as usual.

"Hey, Sakura. You ready?" Ino greeted, upbeat. The rosette ran her mint-green eyes over Ino's appearance, nearly suspicious of her best friend's willingness to go to school. Sakura's answer spilled from her lips slower than molasses.

"…sure. Let me go get my bag."

Septembers in Konoha were the best, especially early September, where the air was still summery and warm, fragrant with the pungent scent of freshly mowed lawns and car exhaust. Ino and Sakura waved a friendly hello to old man Sarutobi across the street before continuing on their merry way to the academy.

"Do you know what class you're in?"

"I think I'm in 2-C," Sakura replied thoughtfully, "Kakashi's the homeroom teacher."

"Kakashi?" Ino said, "Isn't that the one with the mask and the–"

"–porn novels?" Sakura scoffed and flicked a piece of lint off her shoulder blade, "The one and only. I'm still surprised he's still here; he even admitted he hates teaching."

"But he's so popular!"

"Because he's always late and he's too lazy to properly give assignments and grade them. It's like having a study hall teacher for an entire eight hours."

The two high school students paraded down the sidewalk, chatting idly with one another, just like any other morning. However, a flyer sloppily stapled to a telephone pole brought them both to a screeching halt. It read:

MISSING: KARIN UZUMAKI  
Should be 17  
Red hair, red eyes  
If found, please contact Konoha Police immediately

"It's been a year," Ino said gently, looking over to Sakura. Her face remained blank, her wide emerald eyes glossed over with wonder. Sakura stared at Karin's portrait unfathomably.

Yes, that's right, she should be 17. Whether she made it there or not was still a mystery. Memories of the morning following Karin's disappearance plagued Sakura's memory, bringing a fresh wave of anxiety-induced stomach pains. Sakura could still vividly remember Sasuke Uchiha, Karin's _boyfriend_ (and the love of Sakura's life), calling Sakura every horrible name he could give her. That was just last year.

She heard every insult and fully accepted it. And why? Because Sakura had wished for Karin to disappear; the day Karin had announced her relationship with Sasuke, Sakura had wished for Karin to go away and never come back.

It was almost disgusting how quickly that wish was granted.

_"You wished that she would disappear, didn't you? I know you had something to do with it, you bitch!" _

_ Sasuke Uchiha was not known to be a talker, but when he did, his words were sharper than any sword forged by man. And currently, he was _destroying_ Sakura. The hand painting stopped; Sakura didn't turn. Sasuke didn't stop._

_ "God, Sakura. We were happy, and you probably said something to her, didn't you? I can't find her. She called me and told me she couldn't do this to Sakura. To you!" Sasuke was so angry, he saw only red. _

_ Sakura wasn't an idiot._

_ She knew what Karin was capable of, although she didn't know why Karin did the things she did. And if Karin wanted to use her best friend and boyfriend for her stupid, stupid fucking twisted little games, then so be it. This wasn't the first time Karin used Sakura, and it probably wouldn't be the last either._

_ Karin was missing. Sakura knew Karin well enough to know that she shouldn't try looking for her either. 'It's a secret,' as Karin would so coyly put it. _

_ Secrets guarded by Karin stay that way: secret. And her current location was no excuse to this unspoken rule. Sakura swallowed the lump in her throat._

_ "I thought I loved her," Sasuke confided pathetically. _

_ 'You stupid boy,' Sakura thought helplessly, 'you stupid, stupid, idiotic, beautiful boy; what are you doing here? Caught in her lies. You shouldn't be a part of Karin's games. You'll never get out.'_

_ "I thought I loved her, damn it!" he bellowed in rage._

_ Sakura didn't respond._

_ The rosette, with the remaining shreds of dignity she had left, collected her jars of paint, her dirty brushes, and murky water, and passed Sasuke to go back to her house. _

_ "If you were really in love," she said quietly, "then Karin, wherever she is, would have taken you with her."_

_ Sakura could still hear Sasuke's angry shouts behind the closed door and over her muffled sobs._

* * *

**Notes: **This is based off of Pretty Little Liars because, after 3 years, I've convinced myself to watch it and I must say, once you get over the infuriating character traits/situations, it's a fairly decent mystery.

Right now, this particular chapter is a "Pilot" of sorts. I'll see how it's interpreted by readers and decide if I want to keep it or not.


	2. (A) New Friend

_Clandestine_ by **The Loser Lord**  
Secret 2: "A" New Friend

_Got a secret, can you keep it?_  
_Swear this one you'll save,_  
_Better lock it in your pocket,_  
_Taking this one to the grave;_

_If I show you,  
Then I know __you won't tell what I said;_  
_Because two can keep a secret,_  
_if one of them is dead_

"Tenten, we're gonna be late for homeroom. We said we were gonna meet Sakura and Ino," Hinata Hyuuga reasoned gently.

"Yeah, hold on!" Tenten shouted over her shoulder; the brunette held her basketball tightly in her hands and, without hesitation, flung the orange ball into the net. It passed through the rim with an airy 'whoosh.'

"Nothin' but net," she bragged. Hinata rolled her eyes, readjusting her backpack hanging off her shoulder.

"Yes, yes, very nice. Now, can we get going?"

"Sure."

The two girls exited the gym, entering the crowded main hall. Students were already gathered in front of the main bulletin board, no doubt finding their class assignments for the year. Tenten, one year older than Hinata, Sakura, and Ino, remained with her same class from last year; it was school procedure that second year classes stay the same for third year.

It was a lot less messy when the first day of the semester came and today was definitive proof of that belief, seeing that many third years were leisurely passing frantic underclassmen to their normal homeroom class.

"All three of us are in the same class," Hinata announced, delighted that she checked the board earlier.

"That's great!" Tenten pulled out her cell phone to text Sakura and Ino the news; they'd meet them later in homeroom since Kakashi never showed up on time to chase out students not assigned to 2-C.

A sudden division of the crowd of students brought Tenten and Hinata's attention to the front door; Naruto Uzumaki, bright and boisterous as ever, strutted down the hallway, completely ignoring the scowls he received from his fellow classmates.

"Great, _he's_ back," the girls heard from a few hostile students.

"Hey, Uzumaki! The looney-bin in Sunagakure didn't cut it for you?" shouted one instigator; Naruto snorted at the stranger, but said nothing else.

"When'd Naruto get back?" Tenten asked, horrified. Hinata shrugged, trying her hardest to fight back the heated blush blossoming on her pale cheeks.

"I…I do…don't know. M…Maybe last n…night?" Hinata pathetically tried to hide her anxiety, but it painfully showed; it didn't do the girl much good since Naruto was headed right in her and Tenten's direction. Tenten took an incredulous glance at her friend, surprised by the girl's sweating face and trembling body; both delicate hands were held defensively in front of Hinata.

"Don't tell me you're still crushing on him?" Tenten nonchalantly asked.

"N…No!" Hinata snapped, her flustered blush darkening when greeted with Tenten's answering expression.

"It's just b…been a while, t…that's all," Hinata mumbled dejectedly. Tenten snorted and threw an arm around Hinata's shoulders.

"It's alright if you do like him, Hinata," Tenten said soothingly, "You had nothing to do with _that_ night."

"And I wish I had!" Hinata interrupted, almost angrily, "If I had been there, Karin wouldn't have gotten what she wanted and…and," Hinata stopped.

"_My stupid brother's on his way to Sunagakure," Karin proudly announced in her living room. Hinata carefully set down her carton of Chinese takeout, eyeing her friend warily._

"_What do you mean, Karin?"_

"_Mom and Dad decided that Naruto's a loon and that they're going to send him to the penitentiary in Sunagakure. It's about time, too."_

_Karin seemed awfully pleased, a small smirk present on her face. It took all of ten seconds for Hinata to understand what Karin was talking about. The petite girl abruptly stood to her feet, her fury too much to control._

"_Karin, you know that Naruto didn't do anything!" Hinata shouted, "He had nothing to do with –," she couldn't finish. She was too angry._

"_Calm down, Hinata. He's not being sent to death or anything," Karin replied, unconcerned with Hinata's fit, "He'll be back soon enough."_

"_You _framed_ him, Karin! Your own brother!" _

_Karin's scarlet gaze met the challenging lavender of Hinata's; she scoffed. _

"_Please, Hinata. And you didn't help us?"Karin responded coldly, effectively flooring Hinata. She quickly sat back down, inching closer to Karin. The Uzumaki house was silent, dark and empty, save for the dripping of the leaky, unrepaired pipes and the strips of afternoon sunlight trickling in through the translucent curtains. Minato and Kushina, Karin and Naruto's parents, were long gone, having left early that morning to take Naruto to the Sunagakure Penitentiary._

_Memories of the night in question flooded Hinata's memory; did she really have nothing to do with it? _

"_No," Hinata answered evenly, "I did not."_

_Karin laughed cruelly, "You tell yourself that, Hinata. But, if I remember correctly, _you _were the one who gave me the blueprints of the Hokage's Tower. Even if you didn't have a hand in the deed, you were the catalyst that started this whole misadventure."_

"_You didn't have to steal that scroll," Hinata deadpanned, "You didn't have to involve us or your brother."_

"_I didn't have to," Karin admitted, "but I did. And you all served your purposes beautifully. Especially Naruto. I'm sure he'll enjoy his stay in Suna; I hear they have warmer weather than Konoha."_

_Hinata didn't know how to answer her friend. _

_Because Karin was right. Hinata did have a part in Naruto's demise and it was because of Hinata that he was now taken away from Konoha; hot tears pooled in Hinata's eyes. Angrily, she swiped away the treacherous moisture. _

"_Aw, don't cry, Hinata," Karin cooed patronizingly. The redhead gently pulled the weeping girl into her arms, maternally stroking her dark locks, "I'm sure Naruto will still like you. He didn't say anything otherwise when he was towed off this morning."_

_Karin was satisfied when she only received grief-stricken hiccups as an answer. She continued._

"_If you keep this conversation a secret, I'm sure that you and Naruto will be just okay when he comes back," she whispered into Hinata's ear, "I promise you that. Promise me you'll keep this a secret."_

"_Promise me," Karin said again, "…or else I'll tell Naruto the truth."_

_When Hinata agreed to keep the conversation between them, she made a promise in her heart to never forgive Karin for treating her friends and her brother this way._

"Hinata?" Tenten's hand waved tentatively in front of the girl's face, effectively drawing her out from her thoughts. Hinata shook her head, "I'm not even going to talk about it anymore."

"Hey, Hinata!"

Hinata's head snapped almost at lightspeed, greeted with the bright azure eyes of Naruto Uzumaki. She squeaked, slapping her hands to her blushing cheeks. Onlookers watched the scene unfold with distaste; Hinata Hyuuga still had a crush on Naruto Uzumaki, which was still unfathomable to many. Tenten, completely used to this reaction, quietly excused herself to go meet with Sakura and Ino.

"H…Hi, N...Naruto," Hinata stammered. "I…It's been a while."

"Sure has!" Naruto replied, his wide grin still as bright as Hinata had remembered, "I noticed we're both in the same class, isn't that great?"

"Y…Yeah."

'_I thought I fixed this speech impediment a long time ago_,' Hinata thought to herself exasperatedly. Naruto didn't seem to mind her inability to speak properly; however, he seemed have stopped smiling, his face suddenly grave.

"Hey, it's been a while since I've been here, so do you wanna walk to class together?" Naruto asked. When Naruto surreptitiously glanced around him, his face fell ever so slightly when he saw the disgusted expressions of his classmates.

He quickly amended his offer, swiftly self-conscious.

"But only if you want to. I know what everyone's saying about me, and I wouldn't want to cause any trou –"

"I'd love to," Hinata interrupted quickly and without hesitation. Her light eyes snapped to the shocked face of every single interloper in their proximity and they immediately shoved off, realizing that Hinata Hyuuga was just as hopelessly in love with Naruto as ever before.

That much was obvious.

The only thing that tore Hinata's gaze from Naruto's face was the ringing of her cell phone. A new text message and it read:

_You don't suppose Naruto would be willing to walk with you to class if he knew it was your fault he went to crazy camp in the first place? 'fess up, bitch. -A_

On the other side of the school, in classroom 2-C, Sakura and Ino were already settled in their desks.

"Tenten and Hinata said they'd meet us here; it's a good thing Hinata already checked the board for us," Ino said; she slouched into her seat, already beginning to drift off.

"Do not tell me you're falling asleep already," Sakura tried, but it was too late. Ino snored delicately in the corner of the classroom, leaving her best friend to stare at newcomers to the classroom.

After five minutes with no one else entering Kakashi's classroom, Sakura dug in her schoolbag until she produced a small, black leather-bound book; it was worn, probably from frequent opening and closing. The pages inside were wrinkled and yellowed, scribbled on in various handwritings.

Sakura flipped to the next fresh page available to her disposal and unleashed her pent-up frustrations via verse.

When she heard the unmistakable thumping of the school shoes entering the classroom, she looked up from her hastily-written poem and nearly groaned in horror. Of course _he _would be in the same class as her. The universe just worked against Sakura like that.

"Just fucking fantastic," Sasuke muttered to himself. Sakura could feel the snark coming, and she was more than ready for it.

It was only a matter of time before Sasuke, being as Sasuke as ever, would say something utterly inappropriate and Sakura, being _Sakura_, would angrily reply with something equally unnecessary. Though she didn't mean half the things she said, Sakura decided that she wasn't going to allow herself to be bullied by Sasuke Uchiha, regardless if she was in love with him or not.

No, she would fight until her passion burned out.

"Animals aren't allowed in the building," Sasuke spat.

"Then get the fuck out, you _tool_."

She still had a lot of gas in the tank.

He didn't spare Sakura another passing glance as he chose his seat, conveniently far away from Sakura and her slumbering friend.

Sasuke's apparent hatred for Sakura didn't seem to lessen during the previous year following Karin's disappearance. As a matter of fact, Sasuke went out of his way to let Sakura know that he hated her and very much wished that it was Sakura who went missing rather than his secretive girlfriend.

'_Ex-girlfriend,' _Sakura amended. Without anymore regard to her hostile classmate, Sakura turned back to her poetry book with the intention of releasing more of her Sasuke-induced anxiety and frustration.

That is, until she spotted an unfamiliar piece of paper folded up and sticking out of the book's binding. Carefully, Sakura extracted the note and unfolded it, reading its contents.

_You just couldn't wait to get rid of her, couldn't you? Don't worry, I won't tell anyone._

_Love, A_

"Sakura?" Ino's groggy voice called; the blonde had momentarily woken up. Her blue eyes focused on the offending note, "What's that?" she inquired curiously.

Sakura shook her head and folded the note away.

"It's nothing," she said, rather unconvincingly. Ino, still wrought with fatigue, accepted Sakura's nearly pathetic lie and went back to sleep.

Sakura felt sick for the remainder of the school day.

* * *

**Notes: **Thanks for those who read, reviewed, followed, and favorited (: I am pleasantly surprised at the reviews from readers admitting that they too are not familiar with Pretty Little Liars. Well, _hang on tight kids_.

I know it's a bit slow, so please bear with me.

Thanks again for reading!


	3. The First Secret

_Clandestine_ by **The Loser Lord**  
Secret 3: The First Secret

_Got a secret, can you keep it?  
Swear this one you'll save,  
Better lock it in your pocket,  
Taking this one to the grave;_

_If I show you,  
Then I know you won't tell what I said;_  
_Because two can keep a secret,_  
_if one of them is dead_

The summer Karin disappeared was a rather memorable one, but not for the reason everyone would think. At least, not to Karin's four best friends. No, something worse happened right before Karin's sudden absence.

"Are you sure no one saw you get this?" Karin asked Hinata in a low voice. The girls sat huddled together in Ino's backyard gazebo. The late morning air was summery and comforting against their bare skin. A forgotten pitcher of lemonade sat in the center of the table, condensation already dripping onto the wooden surface.

Hinata sipped her half-full glass and nodded, "Yeah, my dad took Hanabi and Neji to the moon festival in Kirigakure, and no one in the compound is ever awake before dawn."

"Except Neji," Tenten muttered.

"Except Neji," Hinata said, "…who is not here. So it's okay."

"How did you get your dad to let you stay here anyway?" Sakura inquired, her viridian eyes focused on her chipped sea foam green nail polish. Hinata shrugged carelessly, "Summer assignments. History, in particular. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to dig up information on _ninjutsu_?"

"Ninjutsu?" Ino questioned, "Like all that shinobi stuff old man Sarutobi goes on about? I thought that was all made up."

"Old man Sarutobi is _Sandaime_," Sakura corrected, "And no, Ino. It's all real. Or at least, it was back in the day. Konoha and the other four great nations were known as the four shinobi nations. Each village had their own army of elite ninja and these ninja would get paid to do the dirty work for local officials."

"Like the Hokage?" Tenten mused.

The current Hokage, Karin's father Minato Namikaze, was a kind man with a gentle nature. The girls tried to envision Yondaime as a cold-hearted politician hiring ninja, shrouded in black, to eliminate an unwanted obstacle; the absurdity of the notion left them baffled.

"The Hokage was actually the best ninja in the village," Karin revealed, "My dad said so himself. I think Sandaime was the last shinobi Hokage."

"Okay, do _you _three want to write my paper for me since _you_, Sakura and Ino, have the same assignment, mind you?" Hinata quipped, "Anyway, my dad let me use the Hyuuga archives back in the main branch compound and apparently, the Hyuuga clan was keepers of a dojutsu called the Byakugan! It's genetic; that's why my eyes are this color!"

She pointed to her monochromatic irises for emphasis.

"Does that mean you can use this dojutsu? Whatever that is…" Ino questioned, thoughtfully stirring her lemonade. Hinata paused for a few moments, watching the ice cubes swirl in Ino's class. They clanked against each other noisily, the only noise elicited from the quiet gazebo.

"Maybe…" she guessed, "…although that would require me to learn the art of molding chakra, which is pretty much nonexistent."

The girls stared at each other gravely.

Ninjutsu? Byakugan? _Molding chakra_?

'_There's no way a normal person would have let those abilities be lost_,' Sakura thought.

And, as if she had been reading the girls' mind for that brief moment of silence, Karin spoke up. Slyly, the Hokage's daughter confessed, "Molding chakra isn't as rare a practice as our teachers let on."

"What do you mean?" said Tenten.

Karin smiled sweetly, pushing her round-rimmed glasses up the bridge of her nose before continuing.

"It's a secret, but if you help me out tonight, and I'll tell you all you need to know," Karin stood from the table and turned to Hinata, "Thanks for the…_stuff_, Hinata. I'll get it back to you tomorrow morning; you don't have to come along tonight. I know you're busy watching the compound for your dad."

Hinata beamed fondly at the girl, "Thanks, Karin. Anyway, I should get going, tell me how it goes, whatever you're doing!"

The remaining four waved at Hinata's retreating figure until she was no longer seen from the gazebo. Karin immediately whirled on Sakura, Ino, and Tenten.

"Alright, girls, we have some hunting to do," she announced menacingly.

"What are we looking for and why are we looking for it?" Sakura contested, clearly uninterested in Karin's selected game of the day. Ino and Tenten eyed their cynical leader warily. Karin laughed haughtily, ruffling Sakura's hair into a tangled mess.

"Just meet me at Hokage's Tower at sundown, and make sure no one sees you."

Sakura rolled her eyes, standing to leave the gazebo, "Whatever. You are so _sketchy_, Karin!"

"I mean it, Sakura!" Karin answered, challenging Sakura's unsurprising defiance, "Be there or else–"

"Or I'll be sorry," Sakura finished, clearly unthreatened by Karin's ominous promise, "Yeah, yeah, I got it. I'll see you guys later."

Sakura left Karin, Ino, and Tenten to the rest of the lemonade, quickly stepping out of Ino's house and onto the village's main road. The rosette checked her watch. 11:45am, meaning she had about eight hours to horse around before she had to help Karin with whatever she needed help with. Sakura huffed, blowing a thin strand of hair from her forehead.

'_What is she up to?_' Sakura asked herself.

She figured that it wasn't something she should worry herself with at the moment since she too had summer assignments that had to be completed as well. Sakura walked to the library like any other day spent alone during summer vacation.

"Sakura."

She turned, completely unsurprised when Sasuke Uchiha appeared behind her. Since he was now Karin's boyfriend (which honestly still left a bad taste in Sakura's mouth), Sakura had conditioned herself to behaving nonchalantly around the academy's "It" boy. Even if his mere presence sent her heart working twice as hard.

"H…Hey, Sasuke," Sakura greeted cordially, "You on your way to the library too?"

"Aa. You wouldn't happen to know Kakashi's assignment, would you? Naruto spilled water all over my prompt and he lost his the first day of vacation," Sasuke said, muttering an 'idiot' at the mention of Karin's brother.

"Oh, yeah," Sakura replied, "I think I have a copy in my bag, c'mon…"

The pair entered the library, greeted only by the regular working librarian and her assistant, a bushy-browed boy from school named Lee.

"Good morning Sakura! Sasuke!" Lee hollered from his place behind the historical fiction shelf; the librarian in the front hastily shushed the ecstatic boy prompting a giggle to erupt from Sakura's lips. Sasuke's lips quirked upwards in amusement and he turned to Sakura, who stood an entire head below him.

"Hi Lee!" Sakura whispered, "Do you know where we can find the historical encyclopedias?"

"The shelves closest to the staircase," Lee helpfully answered. Sakura bowed her head in thanks and, with a nod to Sasuke, led them both do their destination.

"What are we looking for?" Sasuke inquired, watching curiously as Sakura combed through the library selection. Sakura's answer came absent-mindedly, "Shinobi and ninjutsu. That was what Kakashi's assignment was about. Hinata just reminded me about it today."

"Shinobi?" Sasuke repeated slowly. Sakura nodded, "Yeah, we're supposed to be going over the Five Great Shinobi Nations and the first three Great Shinobi Wars when the fall semester begins."

"Hn."

Sakura found no discomfort at Sasuke's lack of an answer. After all, she knew that he wasn't much of a talker. Quietly, quickly, Sakura bustled up and down the aisles, cracking open a few hopeful textbooks and snapping them shut impatiently. Once or twice, Sakura could have sworn she caught Sasuke staring at her longer than necessary.

She didn't allow herself to become hopeful of this and continued her work.

"Oh, I forgot," Sakura added sheepishly nearly twenty-minutes later; the pink-haired girl dug in her bag momentarily before producing her extra copy of Kakashi's assignment.

"Thanks."

"No prob, we should probably take a look at it though, so we'll know exactly what we're looking for, huh?" Sakura proposed, craning her neck upwards to properly look at Sasuke. He shrugged. Sakura took a seat on the library carpet and when Sasuke didn't join her, she quickly grabbed his wrist and gently yanked him down to her level. Sasuke snorted in amusement, but said nothing else.

'_Only Sakura can really string me along like this_,' he thought, almost jovially as his childhood friend pulled out her own copy.

This much was true, as Sakura and Sasuke had both grown up around each other. Konoha wasn't a very large village and everyone knew everyone else, not to mention the fact that Sasuke's father was childhood friends with Sakura's father. Fugaku Uchiha, as head of police, would often find himself talking to doctors in the local hospital, where Kizashi Haruno worked as a surgeon. The pair would spend all day together as small children, and so it was only natural that Sakura would know how to persuade Sasuke to go along with her crazy ideas now as adolescents.

Though Sasuke wouldn't admit this out loud, he was happy he had someone like Sakura who understood his stiff, and sometimes awkward, means of communication.

"Are you going to stare at me all day or are you gonna read this?" Sakura teased (while fighting the heated blush creeping onto her neck.)

Sasuke rolled his eyes and held his copy up for him to read.

KONOHAGAKURE HISTORY, CLASS 1-F  
KAKASHI HATAKE

WELCOME TO KONOHA HISTORY. I AM KAKASHI HATAKE, YOUR HISTORY TEACHER IF IT ISN'T INDICATED BY THE HEADER ABOVE.

"Is he serious?" Sakura asked incredulously.

"Kakashi doesn't really have a sense of humor, Sakura."

"Oh. Right."

YOUR FIRST ASSIGNMENT WILL BE DUE IMMEIDIATELY WHEN YOUR RESPECTIVE HISTORY CLASS BEGINS.

"So, we have an extra half hour after our history class starts to get this done, right?"

"_Sakura_…"

"Sorry, sorry! Couldn't resist."

PLEASE COMPOSE A FIVE-PAGE ESSAY REGARDING ONE OF THE FOLLOWING TOPICS:

Shodaime's legacy

The village shinobi system

Ninjutsu, genjutsu, and taijutsu: Chakra molding

Kekkei genkai

The bijuu and the jinchuuriki

I AM EXPECTING FIVE FULL PAGES, ALONG WITH A COVER PAGE AND A WORKS CITED PAGE IN MLA FORMAT. DO NOT PROCRAST…

Sakura stopped reading Kakashi's empty threats and faced Sasuke.

"Which one do you think you're gonna do?"

Sasuke thoughtfully glanced over the options Kakashi had given his class, "Kekkei genkai."

"Really? That's cool," Sakura said, "I'd like to do the folklore about bijuu and their jinchuuriki."

"Jinchuuriki?" Sasuke raised one delicate brow at his floor mate. Sakura gaped.

"You don't know what those are? C'mon Sasuke, that's a classic folktale. The nine tailed beasts held in each hidden village and the villager chosen to be the jinchuuriki, or the host, of that bijuu? You really don't know?"

"No, and that's why I didn't pick that topic," he replied stiffly.

Sakura scoffed, "Well, you're no fun."

"You should be used to it," Sasuke mumbled incoherently. Sakura chuckled quietly before standing to her feet. With Sakura's help, Sasuke rose to his feet as well.

"Let's get started."

Together, Sakura and Sasuke scoured the history section for their respective topics, pausing curiously when they found one misplaced copy of Jiraiya's _Icha Icha Tactics_ between _Basic Ninjutsu _and _The Bingo Book: Konoha's Notorious_.

"I'm not even going to ask," Sakura said, passing the questionable material, Sasuke following closely behind her, his cheeks suddenly burning up in embarrassment.

"Did you see Karin today?" Sasuke asked suddenly, prompting Sakura to pivot around quickly, her arms full of books. A few tumbled out of her grasp due to the abruptness of Sasuke's query.

"Ah, um…uh…" she stammered, watching helplessly as Sasuke bent down to pick up her dropped books. "R…Right before…I came here," Sakura mumbled.

He had been dating Karin for about two months, and though she wasn't _that _mad at her best friend anymore, the subject of Sasuke and Karin's relationship was still taboo to the rosette. Ino, Hinata, and Tenten knew that much and while all three of them were (and still are) disgusted with Karin's snap decision to pursue the Uchiha, there wasn't much they could do about it.

_"If Sakura had wanted to date Sasuke, then she would have chased him a long time ago," Karin said matter-of-factly, "You don't mind this, do you Sakura?"_

_'Yes!' Sakura screamed in her head, 'Yes, I do mind! I've been in love with him since we were kids and…and…'_

_Karin was absolutely right._

_'I should have said something sooner,' she concluded, 'it would be wrong of me to penalize them for my own shortcomings.'_

_Especially when Sasuke looks so happy._

_"No, I don't," was Sakura's firm reply._

_'It wouldn't matter anyway. She does whatever she wants.'_

_"See, guys? It's okay!" Karin hopped off her chair, yanking Sakura's small body against her in a tight hug, "I knew you'd see things my way," Karin whispered in Sakura's ear._

_'I wish you would go away,' Sakura bitterly thought._

"She's been avoiding me," Sasuke pushed, "you wouldn't happen to know why?"

"Not really," Sakura said, clearly uncomfortable with the topic. "Do you want me to ask her or something?"

A smile wider than any other Sakura had ever witnessed appeared on Sasuke's face, and he uncharacteristically said, "That'd really help! Thanks Sakura!"

To make matters worse, Sasuke placed their collected books on a nearby table to give Sakura an appreciative embrace. She awkwardly patted his back, and stepped away.

"Um…yeah, I should probably go," Sakura lied, "I'm supposed to meet Hinata really soon. Um, I'll see you soon, yeah?"

"Aa. Later, Sakura."

"Yeah."

As promised, Sakura met Karin, Ino, and Tenten outside Hokage's Tower, stealthily moving in the shadows of the building.

"You made it!" Karin rejoiced, pulling Sakura to her side. "Now, let's go you guys."

The girls slyly maneuvered through Hokage Tower's grand hallways, unperturbed by the confusing, winding stairwells and hallways. Luckily, no one had seen the quartet moving deftly in the shadows and Karin new the place well enough to know where security cameras would be. Karin led the girls down a narrow staircase to a dark tunnel. They groped for each others' hands in the darkness. After a grueling 10 minutes, the girls arrived at their place of destination: the Hokage's Secret Catacombs.

Or at least what looked like it.

The entrance was a large, worn-looking pair of doors; they were a brilliant red that dulled in the flickering torchlight the underground tunnel provided.

"I thought this place was only a myth…" Ino remarked, looking the entrance over with wide-eyed wonder. Karin scoffed, "In Konoha, if it's a myth, then it's real."

"What makes you say that?" Tenten asked.

"Things are only said to be myths because people want to keep them secret. Like this ancient library; it's called the _Secret _Catacombs."

"Oh."

"Now, wait here and keep guard of the place," Karin said, preparing to move inside, "if you see anyone coming, throw _this_–" Karin handed Tenten what looked like a dagger, "–at the target just opposite the entrance inside. I'll hear it. Or see it. Either way, I'll know."

Tenten eyed the metal projectile with uncertainty, "Karin, what is this? A throwing knife?"

"It's a kunai," Karin corrected, "but you only have to use it if someone's coming, now I gotta go!"

She disappeared behind the large doors, leaving them open in case Tenten needed to use the shuriken. The inside of the crypt looked just like a mausoleum, filled to the brim with offerings. It smelled of dust and old incense. Above all, it was dark; the girls could only really see the crudely-drawn target painted in red on the tomb's stone ground mere feet from the remaining three.

"I've read about kunai," Tenten mumbled to Sakura and Ino, "but I've never seen one that looks like this."

This particular kunai had three-blades, a bit excessive for just chucking at a target. An inscription was written along the handle. Tenten narrowed her eyes at the mysterious writing, "Hey Sakura, can you read this? I can't really read the characters."

Sakura looked at the kunai with a close eye, after which she answered, a bit miffed at her discovery.

"…I can't read it either. What about you Ino?" Sakura asked.

"Aw, you guys already know I'm lousy at kanji!" Ino whined, "I'm not even gonna try. But I'm gonna go ahead and assume that if Sakura can't read it, then it's probably not even our language to begin with."*

"I don't think it is kanji," Sakura added.

"That's because it isn't."

The girls squeaked in surprised, leaping away from Karin.

"Karin!" Tenten greeted sheepishly, "That…that was quick!"

"Yeah!" Ino and Sakura added dumbly.

"Did you get what you were looking for?" Ino asked. Karin smirked, holding up a small, tightly-bound scroll. The girls peered down at it, knowing better than to question Karin why it was so important. It's not like she would have told them in the first place.

"Let's go."

The girls separated outside Hokage's Tower, agreeing not to discuss what had happened ever again. When they asked Karin what she was planning on doing with the scroll if someone found out it was taken, she answered with an ominous, "I've taken care of it. Don't worry about it."

The following morning, news arrived that Naruto Uzumaki had been taken into custody by Konoha's police; apparently, he was found with a questionable artifact. The girls, with horror, realized that the scroll had been found. They waited, with heavy hearts, for Sasuke's father to show up to their respective houses with a pair of handcuffs and a myriad of questions.

No one came for weeks.

And when the Hokage's eldest child refused to disclose where he had gotten, the Hokage's council finally decided it best to send Naruto to the Sunagakure Penitentiary, known famously for its mental asylum, where he spent out the rest of the school year.

To make matters worse, Karin had disappeared from Konoha the evening following Naruto's departure.

According to police reports, the scroll was nowhere to be found.

* * *

**Notes: **Kanji is one of the three Japanese writing systems. Thanks for the reads, reviews, favs, and follows (as always.)

I wasn't planning on releasing this till Sunday or Monday. Oh well.

In case you were confused, this is a flashback chapter. (Hopefully it didn't feel as long as the flashback segments in the Naruto manga *shudders*)

I'll keep this note short, but if you want an explanation for this chapter, feel free to go to my blog: .com. When you get there, hover your mouse over the "Naruto Multichapters" tag, then hover over the "Clandestine" tab, and take your pick (:


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